Cal State LA works with industry partners to promote bioscience innovation and support the growth of the bioscience industry in Southern California. On July 25, LA BioStart and Cal State LA's College of Professional and Global Education hosted a networking event at the Cal State LA Downtown Center. More than 80 entrepreneurs, life science executives, faculty, students, and other business community members gathered together for a biotech innovator spotlight. The event is part of an ongoing series of industry convenings designed to bring the local bioscience community together. The featured innovator speakers was Professor Jill Adler-Moore of Cal Poly Pomona who invented the groundbreaking antifungal drug AmBisome.

The innovator spotlights serve as an important supplement to the more traditional classroom instruction modules of the LA BioStart program. Jose A. Gomez, Executive Vice President and Chairman of the Advisory Board for Cal State LA's LA BioSpace Incubator, noted, "these events are a great way to get folks out of their labs and offices for a bit to enjoy each other’s company and make connections. Sometimes great ideas and inspiration come from these encounters."